The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1887-10-06
FLoRIDIAS.l
Schools and the School board.
LEON COUNTY. Florida

hessrs Elitors' Some time back you told US
what good things our Democratic County Com
missioners had done Tor our county. Now, slrs,
if YOU will tell US what our Democratic County
School Board is doing you will confer favor on
The taxpayers Of The county. The following are
a iew questions l would like to have answered :
ls,. Have the school taxes levied from the
whole people been expended for the benefit Of
the " hole people:
I'd. Why eXpcnd so much money in Tdllahas
see when large proportion of the schools in
The county are taught in dlApidated log houses
and uncomfortable churches?
Sd. Why should the Principal of the school in
Tallahassee receive large salary, and the bal
ance of the schools be supplied with teachers al
Tom twenty to thirty five dollars per month?
4th. To whsm the School Board response
bic for their acts! lax PAYER
Answering the 1st question of our esteemed
correspondent We remark that County School
Boards are vested with power to do whatever
IN their judgment they may deem expedient TO
advance the interests of the Schools directing the
expenditure Of moneys to that end, and the
county is bound by their action. Our correspond
ent may hold his own opinion as to the wisdom
of their action, but difference of opinion does
not prove them wrong
We answer the 81 question by saying that
Tallahassee is the educational centre of the
county, and that here there are many times the
number of pupils that there are at any other
point and TO accommodate them and keep up q
school of high grade, which pupils from any
part Of the county can attend, the expenditure
complained of is necessary. AS to county school
houses we have ascertained that in less than two
years six have been built, viz: at Enon Church,
Fishers Creek Geddie's, Bel Air, Moores and
Maiges; and the Board ia now contracting for
several more, both for white and colored pupils.
Many of the school houses for colored as well as
white, have been repaired within eighteen
months. The colored people generally prefer to
have schools Kept in their church buildings, and
when these are SO used the Board keeps them in
repair and in order fer such use.
As 10 The Sd question, we reply that proper
salary is paid to Principal" in Tallahassee in
order to secure the services of proper teacher
one who can manage and maintain the status
OF a large school of high grade, securing to tax
payers the best advantages of public school edu-
cation for tax payers children. The services of
such teacher cannot be properly estimated in
money, but al least enough of it should be paid
to retain him, or offers elsewhere might take him
where his value is appreciated. As to salaries
paid teachers in the country schools, we are in
.ormed that the best of these for whites does not
average an attendance of over twenty, and some
not over six, pupils through the term, and there
fore high salaries cannot be afforded their
teachers-who, however, average higher pay 10
proportion to the work than 10 Tallahassee. for
here the school is maintained at a cost of 50 per
capita, while the cost of the country schools is
from 81 to $3.50 per capita.
As to the 4th question County School Boa rds
are responsible TO the people-and the people
may appeal, it they choose, to the State Board
of Education.